Kiss Me
by SleeplessDays
Summary: Scarlett had only one request for him the night he left.
1. Chapter 1

**Immediately after the end of Gone with the Wind...**

"Rhett, wait."

He stood in the doorway, his hat already on and his bag tightly clutched in his left hand.

"Scarlett, please don't drag this unpleasant affair out. Let's try to say farewell with a sense of strength and bravery. Not neediness or desperation. You can do that, can't you? You've been doing it your whole adult life."

"I just… I need… you. Please. Kiss me, Rhett. Just one last time."

He sighed heavily. Touching her was the last thing he wanted to do. But he couldn't say no. What did he care? She didn't matter to him anymore, why not grant her a final wish?

"Alright." He gently placed his bag by the door and pulled her body to his. He slowly lowered his mouth to hers.

But the kiss wasn't like anything they'd had before. It was kind and gentle, but it was… empty. There was no burning passion behind it, and it left Rhett feeling colder than he had before.

Seeing Rhett so apathetic pained Scarlett greatly, but it was almost normal for him. There was something incredibly off putting and unsettling about a tame and passionless Scarlett. It went against everything she did, everything that was associated with her.

Her limp body and broken soul belied the years she had spent flirting with beaus, ruthlessly fighting for her family's survival, and dreaming after Ashley. She had never relinquished and accepted defeat, her iron will had never been destroyed.

He couldn't stand to feel her cold lips or slouched form against him for a moment longer.

Before she knew it, Rhett had backed off and renewed his firm grasp on the handle of his luggage. "Goodbye, Scarlett."

And then he was gone.

"Goodbye, my love."

Memories assaulted her as she trudged down the hall and up the looming staircase.

Mother, Pa, the baby, Bonnie, Melly, Rhett. Mother, Pa, the baby, Bonnie, Melly, Rhett

Each gone. They'd all abandoned her, but Rhett had chosen to go. She was worth nothing more to him than the old cats after Bonnie's death.

She just couldn't think of it anymore. It was too much. She had to go, she needed to do something…

She was so wrapped up in her pain that she didn't notice how the front door creaked while she struggled to climb the steps.

Her pent up sorrow and cinching corset conspired to shorten her breathing drastically. Each breath was ragged and burned in her chest. The stairs were never-ending red velvet, each step reminding her of the sharp pain in her side and the torture she had experienced in the empty house.

Black and rainbow spots danced around her vision, almost blinding her by the time she finally reached the top. Stumbling into her dark bedroom, Scarlett set about finding it.

If only she had it, she'd finally be able to forget her pain. Where was it? She knew she had hidden it in a hat box a while back. It wasn't until then, when she was desperately fumbling in the dark for it, that she realized that she should have put it in a more accessible spot. Just another regret.

She knocked the correct container open at last. The object gleamed appealingly inside, calling to her.

There was no time to think about what she was about to do. There wasn't any way to think with the pounding in her skull or the held-back tears drowning her heart.

The shadow that had been following at a distance had been in the doorway, watching her frantic search.

It figured that she would go straight for the swoon bottle. After all, she had a terrible habit of drinking alone. She should have just settled for the decanter downstairs, it was a lot easier to find and was much closer before she had fought her way up the stairs.

They sneered at the desperate picture she made, digging around for a drink like an animal.

When they caught sight of the item, however, their heart stopped cold. Fear paralyzed them and a cold sweat broke out across their body.

Scarlett pulled up the gun and quickly unlocked the safety before bringing it to her skull. She pressed it heavily into her skull, ready to fire.

A strangled cry stopped her. She looked up, peering into the darkness. The shadowy figure moving with quick strides towards her was incredibly familiar. She'd recognize him anywhere.

Panic swirled with her pain. The crazed expression that took over her face and terrifying gleam in her eye only pushed Rhett to move faster, to save her from herself.

"Don't touch me," she cried out, scooting further into the dark closet.

His pace slowed for a beat, but he was still moving towards her at a steady pace.

"Don't touch me," she shrieked. Her scream was ear piercing, and it arrested Rhett's movement for a moment. He continued his approach cautiously, trying his best not to scare her into firing the pistol.

"Come on, honey. Let me in. It's alright, darling, I'm just going to come in, I won't hurt you. Why don't you put the gun down? It's going to be just fine, honey. Now just lay the gun down for me."

He continued to murmur comforting things and requests for her to lay down the weapon, keeping his tone as light and soothing as possible.

Scarlett didn't calm down. His kind words had almost the opposite effect on her. She grew more frantic and her eyes darted around quickly, almost as if she was checking for people who weren't there. Breathing was increasingly difficult, and she began hyperventilating.

"I… I do—don't wa—wan… want to… to li-live." Her gasps shook her whole body. The jostled gun pressed harder into her temple.

"Darling, think of everything you've got. I know you don't want to do this, honey. Now, come on…"

Rhett lunged at her, grabbing her wrist right as Scarlett pulled the trigger.


	2. Chapter 2

There was a deafening bang.

Scarlett lay on the ground, eyes open.

Pure terror stole over his whole body. Rhett shook her limp body violently, tears streaming down his face.

She just couldn't die. She was his everything. Without her there, his life lost all semblance of meaning… there was nothing more unbearable than having to look at her cold corpse and explain to her children how he had killed their mother and the one woman he had ever lived. He would give up his soul if it meant that anyone would help, would save his precious darling this one last time.

No more steadfast Scarlett, waiting in Atlanta for him to return when the longing became too powerful. There was nothing that would be able to calm his desperate and insatiable need for her. No more of the woman he loved, only the corpse that would lie in the ground soon. No more light in his dark existence.

_No more pretend, she's gone, that's the end…_

"Ow!"

Rhett's eyes snapped open as he took in his surroundings.

"Scarlett," he cried, his voice coming out shaky and much higher in pitch than she had ever heard before.

She was alright. She was sitting in bed and he was straddling her, his fingers still digging into her shoulders. It was still dark outside. They could stand to hide from their problems just a little bit longer.

It had only been a dream. Scarlett was still alive.

_The gun went off just as Rhett had launched himself at her._

_The gun clattered to the ground as both Scarlett and Rhett were knocked to the ground by his weight and momentum._

_He wrapped her in a tight embrace and felt her shudder once. Twice. Thrice. He chanced a glance at her face and noticed that her emerald eyes were brimming with tears. Her body shook with repressed sobs as she tried to pull it together. _

"_Oh, darling. It's alright, you're going to be okay." Rhett stroked her hair lovingly._

_He felt her sobbing get more intense as she stopped trying to hold back the tears. _

_It was torture to hear her sniffling and pained cries in the dark night. He did his best to soothe her, whispering kind words of little sense in her ear. He continued to whisper in her ear and caress her hair, even after the tears had halted._

_Scarlett eventually stilled against his chest._

_Rhett buried his head in her hair, crushing her body against his. It comforted him immensely that he could feel her every breath, that she could still draw air into her lungs. Her arms were stuck uselessly between them and he wanted to keep them there, even if it wasn't the most comfortable. If he let go for even a moment, she just might… _

"Why'd you stop me?"

Rhett instantly pulled himself back to the present. His bruising fingers still dug into her shoulders in an attempt to rein in the intense emotions swirling through him. He scoured her eyes for a sign. Anything that might reveal how she truly felt.

Her blank and apathetic countenance drained his hope.

"I couldn't let Ella and Wade lose another person, even if you are a rather poor mother." It was too easy for him to seamlessly switch from the loving husband to the cruel stranger. That wasn't what he wanted to say. He wanted to comfort and help her rather than bait and sting her. Everything was all wrong.

Scarlett sighed heavily and let her shoulders droop. "What are you still doing here, Rhett? I want to be alone. Why don't you go sulk in that whorehouse you like so much?"

Much to Rhett's annoyance, they had both switched back into the biting and bitter discourse that had characterized their marriage after Bonnie's birth.

_She was still crying, adding to the warm stain on his shirt when he finally gathered enough of his wits to talk. _

"_You little fool, do you want to be sent to an asylum? No, this has to stay under wraps. As far as Atlanta will know, the gun went off accidentally. Or, better yet, there was no incident. I don't know why I even considered it, they don't need to know anything about what happened tonight. Why do you keep a loaded gun in a house with children?" It dimly occurred to him that he was rambling unnecessarily. He looked up, as if praying to the god he didn't believe in, and noticed the small hole above their heads. "We'll have to fix the ceiling. At least it wasn't your damned head." He had meant to comfort her, to make her understand how dearly he still loved her, how the shock had awoken his sleepy heart and destroyed his uncaring attitude._

_Rhett stood and hefted her small frame to rest more comfortably in his arms. Still cradling her against him, he carried her towards the lavish bed he hadn't really seen since her accident._

"I have little intention of going to Belle's tonight. I'm staying here, where I can make sure you're safe."

* * *

Scarlett awoke in her bed the next day with Rhett clutching her hand like a lifeline.

He was slumped over in a chair beside her, staring off into the wall. He hadn't changed since the day before, he'd only slung his jacket over the back of the chair and tossed his cravat aside before unbuttoning his shirt. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed her awakening or how she appraised his appearance.

Scarlett closed her eyes again and feigned sleep, if only to buy herself a few more moments of peace.

A decidedly unladylike word came to mind and she had to bite the inside of her cheek from spitting it out.

It was all such a mess. Scarlett had never liked dealing with confusing emotions or the reflection that others partook in. What was the point of it all? Well, she ought to sort out some of the chaos that was her life.

The thought of what she had almost done the night before resurfaced and her blood chilled.

It was all surreal now. She didn't want to die. The pain had just been too much… and she couldn't bear the load any longer. There was no tomorrow, only a million regrets.

Sleep had cleared her mind a little and patched up her beaten will. She would get through it, she had to. There were three children and a dead man walking that relied on her alone, and by God, she wouldn't fail them any more than she already had.

The future was just so bleak. Melly was gone. In the blink of an eye, her only friend had vanished. And Rhett, the love of her life, had left… for a few minutes.

Why was he here? He had always been a rogue and a wanderer. And, her bleeding heart whispered, his love had run out.

Why had he returned? Why had he stopped her? Her suicide would have set him free from her.

She couldn't fathom a realistic answer. It made no sense to her, and even less sense because it was Rhett. He couldn't care about her, she refused to believe it. Why, just the night before he had taken her tattered heart and smashed it to smithereens.

A knock interrupted her thoughts and jarred her from her fake slumber.

Rhett, his hair uncharacteristically falling into his eyes and his clothes in disarray, answered the door and accepted the tray from the servant on the other side.

The door swung shut. Rhett turned back towards the bed and suddenly noticed the pale eyes that tracked his movement.

"You're awake."

"Yeah."

"I had a servant bring up some food. You should eat."

Seeing her make no move to acknowledge her breakfast, Rhett set the tray down and sat down heavily beside her.

"You'll need your strength."

There was still no answer.

Rhett gently took her limp hand and brought it to his lips. "Come on, honey. Can't you eat just a little?"

Scarlett shook her head slowly. Just the sight of the simple fare on the silver platter was nauseating.

She couldn't remember the last time she had eaten and it seemed like far too much too early in the day.

Apparently, Rhett also doubted her ability to feed herself, because he continued to cajole her into forcing at least some of the food down.

She had eaten about a third of the plate when Rhett let her take a break.

"Do you not like croissants anymore? I thought that… well, you used to like them. Would you prefer something else?" His voice wavered with uncertainty.

Scarlett shook her head again and leaned against the pillows.

Rhett only got more confusing as time went on. He would abruptly go from declaring her dead to him to ensuring her health and trying to make her feel better.

"I'm not really hungry these days."

"I see." It disquieted Rhett to Scarlett so pale and so despondent. Coupled with her meager appetite and pained countenance, it reminded him painfully of her accident and his part in the whole thing. "Do you need anything? I can open a window or send someone for something from the bakery…" Rhett trailed off. His damned guilt was making him expose himself. But the relentless lead ball in his stomach wouldn't let him act as aloof as he wanted, not if it hurt her in any way. She already had so much to deal with…

He was doing it again.

The polite stranger was a safer role for him to play, but it had never paid off before. The gambler in him couldn't help but recognize that it was a very poor strategy.

And with the scare of the night before, he needed to hold her, to reassure himself she was okay. He wanted to cling to her, to make sure she wouldn't leave him. He didn't want to need her, but he couldn't stop himself.

"Could you scoot over?" Rhett almost cursed himself. He shouldn't have risked it. He wouldn't be able to take it if she rejected him.

To his immense relief, she did make room for him in the bed.

The two spouses lay side by side. The wall between them was almost unconquerable. There was no feasible way to overcome it. He wanted to reach out, but he couldn't cross the border.

"Do you hate me?" Her voice was so small that Rhett almost thought he had imagined it.

Scarlett suddenly found herself in his arms, her head resting on his chest. It was so nice to be held by him again, if only for a little.

"Didn't you hear me last night?" His question held a teasing lilt, even with the pervading sadness.

"You said you pitied me. And if that's the case, I'd still prefer that you hate me."

She wouldn't be able to take it if he hated her, bile crawled up her throat from just thinking about it. But if he pitied her… then she really was nothing.

Rhett sighed heavily and pulled her closer. Why did she always want to know the most damning information?

"I'm not really sure, Scarlett. I don't hate you. I've tried, but it's not possible. And I'll never be indifferent to you. You'll always mean something, and I do care for you. I tried to leave last night, but I couldn't. I thought it was kinda obvious that I still feel more than pity for you."

"Why'd you stay?"

"I needed to make sure you and the children were okay. And… I'm not sure. I guess my very tardy conscience kicked in and I couldn't abandon you here."

"You've done it before."

"I do a lot of stupid things."

Scarlett let out a raspy laugh.

He'd always wanted to make her laugh.

He suddenly noticed the stubborn dark smudges under her eyes. "You should rest a little more."

"I have to plan Melly's funeral."

"We can deal with everything later."

We. He planned to stay then. Maybe she could doze for just a little…

"Will you be here when I wake up?"

"I wouldn't dream of leaving. This is a really comfortable bed."

Another smile graced her lips as she let sleep carry her away.

* * *

_So, um… I slipped in a line from Anastasia and modified it slightly. Did anyone catch it? I thought it was pretty obvious, but I love the movie. Paris Hold the Key literally crushes my heart and I shouldn't be so emotionally invested in two animated people. _

_**This probably won't be more than a short story, but maybe if everyone really wanted it to be longer and was vocal about said desire… Yeah. If you want something longer, you could mosey on over to my other story, The End of an Era. If you hate my writing… oh well. **_


End file.
